Gov. Rick Scott is asking for a $542 million increase in state spending on public schools next fall.

Scott unveiled his $18.84 billion request for the kindergarten through high school system today at an elementary school in Palm Beach County.

The K-12 request is substantially less than the $1.2 billion Scott asked for last year when he successfully lobbied legislators to include enough money for a $2,500 teacher pay raise. Nonetheless, Scott called his request “historic.”

“Building on the record K-12 education funding and teacher pay raises and classroom debit cards of last year, I am committing an historic $18.8 billion in total funding K-12 education,” Scott said in a statement. “We need to provide the tools, training and funding to give our students the best chance for success.”

Scott also asked for $2 billion for the state college system and $3.59 billion for state universities. The university system request includes $40 million in “performance” funding for schools that meet certain benchmarks, such as graduation rates and salary levels for graduates.

Scott will announce his full budget request on Wednesday in Tallahassee. In addition to spending increases, Scott is calling for some $500 million in fee and tax cuts, including a reduction in motor vehicle fees and a back-to-school sales tax holiday.

Scott’s budget is essentially a recommendation he is making to the Legislature, which will consider the governor’s request as the 2014-15 budget is developed this spring. The budget should be finalized by early May well ahead of the July 1 start of the next budget year.